During a press conference held Friday in Kerrville, Texas, President Donald Trump addressed the devastating flash floods that have plagued the state since July 4—only to spark controversy by calling a reporter “evil” for questioning the government’s emergency response.
The tension rose when a CBS News Texas journalist asked whether faster federal emergency alerts might have saved lives.
“Several families we’ve spoken to are understandably upset,” the reporter began. “They say the alerts weren’t sent in time and believe that lives could’ve been saved. What do you say to those families?”
Trump responded by praising the efforts of those involved in managing the crisis.
“I think everyone did an incredible job under the circumstances,” he said. “This was, as Secretary Kristi Noem put it, a one-in-500, maybe even one-in-1,000-year event. I can only express admiration for how everyone responded.”
The flooding has had a catastrophic impact across Central Texas. Authorities have confirmed at least 120 deaths across six counties, with 170 people still unaccounted for. According to Kerr County officials, 36 of the deceased were children.
Although the National Weather Service stated that it had issued two flood warnings before the storm struck, many local officials were caught off guard. Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. told CNN he received no prior warning and had only seen a forecast predicting a “chance of rain” by 8 p.m. Friday. The mayor, visibly shaken, revealed he had lost two personal friends in the disaster.
Despite the questions raised, Trump took aim at the CBS reporter for pressing the issue.
“Only a bad person would ask a question like that,” Trump snapped. “I don’t know who you are, but only a very evil person would frame it that way. What I’ve seen here is heroism. Incredible acts of bravery.”
The floods were triggered by an intense downpour that caused the Guadalupe River to rise over 26 feet in less than an hour. The New York Times reported that local National Weather Service offices in San Antonio and San Angelo were operating with major staffing shortages at the time—an issue compounded by Trump’s earlier cuts of approximately 600 positions from the agency.
In a follow-up to his rebuke, Trump added, “It’s easy to sit back and point fingers. But this was a completely unprecedented event. You can always say we could have done something differently, but hindsight is easy.”
By contrast, Trump warmly received a reporter from the conservative outlet Real America’s Voice, who praised his response and thanked him for his leadership. “Well, that’s a nice reporter,” Trump remarked with a smile. “That’s a nice question.”
Reporter: Several families are upset because they’re saying the alerts didn’t go out in time. What do you say to those families?
Trump: I think everyone did an incredible job under the circumstances… Only an evil person would ask a question like that pic.twitter.com/TZNJPxsJ0U
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 11, 2025